Today was not a good day. Even though I found a place that does the CAC tests for under $100, my doctor would not prescribe it, he said that is something that should be prescribed by a cardiologist. He also says they have been more of a fad and do not detect other kinds of obstructions and plaque and can give people a false sense of security. He gave me resting EKG in his office, (and did not charge me), said it looked OK and gave me a list of cardiologists I could contact if I wanted more than that. He said a cardiologist would probably want to to do a more complete exam including some of the more advanced stress tests to get a clearer picture of my heart health and not just a CAC.
*sigh*
I'm thinking about rescheduling that Life Line screening which included the carotid artery disease screening. Wouldn't plaque in the carotid artery be indicative of plaque in the coronary artery? I read this:
"Results of the present study indicated that CACS significantly correlates with carotid atherosclerotic plaque burden and the presence of tissue compositions."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23764919
Regarding the meds, I told him that my BG had stayed in the high 90's to mid 100's fasting and going up to about 125-130 after a meal for the past 2 days. He said to give it another week and if those numbers hold, to discontinue the Metformin first, then, if I was still having those low numbers to discontinue the Farxiga. He said to monitor my myself closely and use my common sense. So that's what I'll do on that front.
A few things about "risks"... I've been an insurance agent since 1985 and a securities dealer since 1989 - I know a lot about risks - just about anything you do in life has risks and could carry a "black box" warning. Who's to say out of 1000 people who go on low carb diet poses them no health risk whatsoever? What if we just looked at people who already had coronary artery disease and they go on LCHF - do you suppose and increase in death by 2 deaths out of 1000 would be significant?
I read the amputation stuff and it mostly involved people who were already diagnosed with arterial disease and had already had prior amputations. I'm no where near that far gone. About 4 months ago, I got a new fridge and while moving out the old one the dolly dropped off the edge of the doorstep while I was pulling it out and majorly smashed my big toe, (this was before I knew how high my A1C was). I pulled off my sock and it was totally bloody, it had popped my big toe like a grape! Split it right down the middle of the toe and it hurt like hell! For two weeks I could not even wear a shoe on that foot but it did heal up just fine and my nail is growing back now. I didn't even go to the doctor for it. I don't think its much of a risk to be on the meds for a short time, (only three weeks so far), help bridge the gap.
My mom got obese later in life like me, never really did anything about it and died at age 74 with congestive heart failure which can be caused by coronary artery disease. I think I got my love of pasta and rice form my dad who loved Italian and Chinese food. he at rice and pasta all his life, never gained a pound - he was always skinny - and lived to be 92 - so I know some of this stuff is genetic.
Risks of Rapid Weight Loss?
...one Farxiga side effect is "changes in urination (including urgent need to urinate more often, discomfort when urinating, urinating in larger amounts, or at night)" The SGLT2 inhibitors work via the Kidneys, forcing the BG into urine to be expelled. It is unknown how this med with react with a VLC diet that is also dehydrating. 
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